Sharing bath water

This weirds me out more than raw chicken skin!    My niece and nephew will take a bath after a family friend and her father (separately), then ask me if I want to take a bath in the well-used water.  As has been said in the not rinsing dishes thread, it rains enough to make water shortage not a flippin' problem.  What is up with this?  Am I being neurotic or am I missing out on a bonding experience?    Chris

well, I am all for the conservation of water...especially since our fresh water supply is going to run out on us in about 80 years....but I just don't know if I could do this...

There is the practise in Japan of sharing bath water but only after each person has washed off thoroughly in a seperate shower beforehand---is this like what's going on at that house?

Samantha***

No, Samantha, they are scrubbing down in the bath.  It's the evidence that skeeves me out.  I'm all for showering with a friend, but this is way too intimate!

My husband and I don't even do that...and we're very relaxed with each other. I'm voting it's not a great idea.

However...there's something to be said about being TOO clean. I think over the years our immune system is evolving to being less tolerable because we're not as exposed to everyday things. And then you have intelligent bacteria that's evolving to be nearly indestructible.

We were expected to do this as children in the 1950s when coal was expensive and boilers took a long time to heat water. However, my mother certainly wouldn't have asked anyone else to follow on!

There was a campaign in the early 1970s when there was a prolonged drought and water shortages to 'share a bath with a friend', but that's not quite the same thing!

Although England does seem to be awash with rain, there have been water shortages in recent years. This is due to a combination of factors: low rainfall at times of the year when the ground is permeable enough for it to soak through into underground storage (this is particularly a problem in the south east of England where they rely on aquifers rather than reservoirs), dry winters, unusually hot summers leading to increased demand, and of course a steady increase in demand over the years, as we all take more showers, have more bathrooms, dishwashers, garden sprinklers etc etc. Even here in Yorkshire our reservoirs have been extremely low at certain points.

Blech.  That's the most disgusting thing I've heard (today!).  ;-)

That particular scenario is um well gross.  I have shared a bath with my parents as a little kid, and share bubble baths with my husband, but that scenario you mentioned is a few to many bodies in one tub actually scrubbing down for my taste. Oh and strangers?  EW.....    If some one washes their hair you have all that soap scum floating about.  EW...    

I remember staying the night with a friend once when I was about 12 and when it came time for us to take our baths I was asked if I wanted to go first and I said no it's ok I don't mind waiting. So my friend's little brother and then little sister took their baths then it was my turn and that's when I was told in their house they all shared the same bath water and I was to use the water that was already in the tub..which was at that point cold and murky. I was shocked to say the least. My friend was the last to take her bath so there were 4 of us in all who used that same bath water. :-/

I'm weird about baths anyway. I either take a shower first so I'm clean before soaking in the bath or I soak in the bath then take a shower to get clean.

Once again....nasty.  Not for me.  

Oh, ugh! I don't even like CLEANING the bath after the DF has used it, let alone share the water - and I adore him!  

This weirds me out more than raw chicken skin!    My niece and nephew will take a bath after a family friend and her father (separately), then ask me if I want to take a bath in the well-used water.  As has been said in the not rinsing dishes thread, it rains enough to make water shortage not a flippin' problem.  What is up with this?  Am I being neurotic or am I missing out on a bonding experience?    Chris

no, i don't think you are neurotic.  in fact, it brought me a sigh of relief that i am not the only person that has heard of this in England.   its not like everyone does it, but i'm new here, and i have already met a few families that do.

i think it is disgusting as well, and can not fathom why a person would consider sitting in another's cold, nasty,  manky bathwater just to save a few pence.

sorry... maybe that's just the fat, wasteful American in me speaking, but i get so sick of so many of the "old-fashionisms" that go on here sometimes!  i feel like i moved into someone's log cabin in the 19 century or something by accident.  :-/  i am surprised that we don't have to bathe in a big metal bucket as well.  and if you mention the fact that you think any of this is odd to someone, they look at you like you're a crazy person for even thinking such a thing.  

aah, it is all so charming and "Old-Worldly" whilst visiting here on holiday, but the longer i live here, the more i get annoyed with the ways things are done sometimes.    
for instance: why can't i wash my hands in HOT water in the summer?  well, because the heat isn't on, usually.   wtf is that all about?     in the summertime, you have to plan out your baths hours in advance to make sure you heat enough water for it.

*sigh*   this IS the year 2004, isn't it?  

if most everyone here has an electric tea kettle, then why are people still not rinsing dishes, still sharing bath water and hanging clothes to dry in the rain?   why, oh why?!  :'(

i just don't understand...
it's so rough being English...

Lost Angel, you had me LOL! I have an American friend here who says living in England is like camping. You're never quite warm or dry enough!

My biggest pet peeve in this vein though is the separate taps for hot and cold. Why oh why can't I have a 'mixer tap'??! I didn't even know they had a special name until I moved here! I've heard people from dirt poor former Soviet bloc countries asking why the water is either boiling hot or freezing cold!  

And don't get me started on drying clothes!

None of my British family members share bath water, several of them have US sized dryers and washers and even rinse the dishes.  

They do have mixer taps though as we do in the house but a trip to B&Q shall remedy that situation.  

and hanging clothes to dry in the rain?   why, oh why?!  :'(

i just don't understand...

I've never had a tumble dryer, don't have the room for it, in fact hanging clothes out in the garden is my favourite chore (unlike hoovering, ironing, dusting etc ), like the smell of line dried clothes, would rather spend the money on something else. I don't think it's old-fashioned or that I'm any less civilised because of it, it's just personal choice.

I'm not getting this.  If you can't live without a shower, then get one installed.  Everyone I know has one.  Everyone.  And if it's essential for you to have a tumble dryer, for goodness sakes, they're only about a hundred quid.  The two families that I know who don't have dryers are like HME, it's a personal choice, they don't feel the need.  I'm not organized enough or forward thinking enough to live without one-but they both have dishwashers which is something that I live without quite easily.  Likewise, invest in a boiler that has a seperate heater for the hotwater tank-just because your house doesn't have this doesn't mean that the entire country is in another century.  We have a hot water heater that we generally turn on at night (the cheapest time) which gives us (a family of five) more than adequate hot water for the day.  And for the love of Mike, if you want mixer taps, call a plumber.  Really, you're chosing to live without these things.  Take matters into your own hands.